dm:
Crash Landing's comments are right on the money.
I can only add that we all could pick up a lot of pointers from the benchrest shooters. Good range equipment is a must. At a minimum this should include a solid adjustable rest for the forend, and a "rabbit ear" sandbag for the buttstock. Even the sturdiness of the bench itself can be a significant factor. Our BP actions have a much slower lock time than modern rifles, necessitating even more the need for a solid rest. I "re-discovered" this need last year when I brought out my flintlock rifle for a muzzleloading hunt. This is the ultimate in a slow lock time shooting challenge.
I am getting frustrated
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loophole
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:15 pm
- Location: asheville
I'll throw in a couple more ideas, from someone who has been shooting seriously off the bench for 30 years and still manages to forget basic concepts: many single shot rifles will not shoot worth a damn unless you're careful to put the forend on the rest at exactly the same point each time. Most of my rifles like to be bagged just ahead of the receiver. With the heavy recoil of a 45-70 you've got to pay attention to pushing the rifle forward to the same position after each shot.
Using iron sights many people aren't consistent enough with their sight picture to shoot good groups. Very few people can shoot better than three or four MOA with notch and post sights and even with a good tang sight and target front sight, if you don't have apertures the right size for your target and existing light (and your eyesight) you probably can't hold much better than 4".
What size bull are you using? I like an NRA 50 yd pistol bull but if I could see better I'd use a smaller target. If you're using a large bull your groups probably will not be as good as they could be. "Aim small, miss small."
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If at first you don't secede, try, try again.
Using iron sights many people aren't consistent enough with their sight picture to shoot good groups. Very few people can shoot better than three or four MOA with notch and post sights and even with a good tang sight and target front sight, if you don't have apertures the right size for your target and existing light (and your eyesight) you probably can't hold much better than 4".
What size bull are you using? I like an NRA 50 yd pistol bull but if I could see better I'd use a smaller target. If you're using a large bull your groups probably will not be as good as they could be. "Aim small, miss small."
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If at first you don't secede, try, try again.
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dm3280
- Posts: 550
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:11 pm
aim small miss small
With my eyesight, anything smaller than 4 inches at 100 yards is invisible. I have started using reading glasses and find getting a clear sight picture troublesome. I guess I am refusing to realize my groups will get larger as my sight gets poorer. I do have a tang sight but since I will be using this rife on a buffalo hunt I don't want another thing to think about. I can see it now, I have a 200 yard shot at a bull and I forget where I need to adjust the rear sight for a 200 yard shot. With open sights I just flip up the rear open sight and I am ready.
I did shoot the rifle at 200 yards with open sights and my group was better than I was expecting. Since I was getting around a 4inch group at 100 yards I thought I would get a group the size of a trash can at 200 yards. I was supprised to see an 8 - 10 inch group at 200 yards. I think with some trigger time I can get that smalled, maybe 6 to 8 inches.
My guide for the buffalo hunt told me to pratice out to 200 yards before the hunt. I have a feeling I will get a closer shot than that but I want to be prepared.
I did find some problems with my orginal loads. I took a bullet and measured the diameter. Next I loaded it in an empty case then pulled the bullet. I was supprised to see the bullet a lot smaller. It went from a .458 to a .455 - .456. I have since started expanding the neck of the case to .458. I think this might help some as well
I am starting to think things are not as bad as I orignally thought.
Thanks
I did shoot the rifle at 200 yards with open sights and my group was better than I was expecting. Since I was getting around a 4inch group at 100 yards I thought I would get a group the size of a trash can at 200 yards. I was supprised to see an 8 - 10 inch group at 200 yards. I think with some trigger time I can get that smalled, maybe 6 to 8 inches.
My guide for the buffalo hunt told me to pratice out to 200 yards before the hunt. I have a feeling I will get a closer shot than that but I want to be prepared.
I did find some problems with my orginal loads. I took a bullet and measured the diameter. Next I loaded it in an empty case then pulled the bullet. I was supprised to see the bullet a lot smaller. It went from a .458 to a .455 - .456. I have since started expanding the neck of the case to .458. I think this might help some as well
I am starting to think things are not as bad as I orignally thought.
Thanks